Shenandoah
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2008
- Location
- Shenandoah Valley, VA
- TDI
- 2005 Jetta Wagon; 2005 Beetle; 2004 Jetta; 2002 Golf (three of them); 2002 Jetta Wagon; 2000 Audi TT->TDI; 1999 Beetle
Folks,
I just picked up my tenth VW three weeks ago for $500. It's a 2002 Jetta with the 2.0l gas motor with an automatic. The car has 136,000 and it was from the original owner. It's in great shaped for a 2002. The owner had all three keys, the manual, and a VHS tape on VWs that must have come with the car new.
She said the car needed a waterpump as it kept overheating. I asked her if it ran and she said it did for awhile but sounded terrible. She also said her mechanic thought the valves might be bent.
Anyhow, for $500 it is worth it in parts. Trailered the car home and put the crank at top dead center. The cam was about 20 teeth off from where it should be. Pulled the head off and could see valve marks on the pistons. Ordered a rebuilt head, timing belt kit, and gasket set: around $400. Timing belt was missing teeth in several places. Pulled the waterpump and the plastic impeller was sitting in the block, broken in two pieces. I'm guessing the impeller broke, seizing the waterpump, and stripped the teeth off the timing belt before it quit.
Got everything back together and the car runs great.
I should add that two of the 2002 Golfs are parts cars. one was ran without oil until the motor seized the other had a front tire failure and was run off the road destroying the suspension on the passenger side and twisting/tweaking the unibody. Fortuneately no one was hurt
Eric
I just picked up my tenth VW three weeks ago for $500. It's a 2002 Jetta with the 2.0l gas motor with an automatic. The car has 136,000 and it was from the original owner. It's in great shaped for a 2002. The owner had all three keys, the manual, and a VHS tape on VWs that must have come with the car new.
She said the car needed a waterpump as it kept overheating. I asked her if it ran and she said it did for awhile but sounded terrible. She also said her mechanic thought the valves might be bent.
Anyhow, for $500 it is worth it in parts. Trailered the car home and put the crank at top dead center. The cam was about 20 teeth off from where it should be. Pulled the head off and could see valve marks on the pistons. Ordered a rebuilt head, timing belt kit, and gasket set: around $400. Timing belt was missing teeth in several places. Pulled the waterpump and the plastic impeller was sitting in the block, broken in two pieces. I'm guessing the impeller broke, seizing the waterpump, and stripped the teeth off the timing belt before it quit.
Got everything back together and the car runs great.
I should add that two of the 2002 Golfs are parts cars. one was ran without oil until the motor seized the other had a front tire failure and was run off the road destroying the suspension on the passenger side and twisting/tweaking the unibody. Fortuneately no one was hurt
Eric
